The Tampa Bay Rays (87-51) defeated the Boston Red Sox (79-61) 11-10 on Monday afternoon at Fenway Park. The Rays now lead the Yankees by 8.5 games for first place in the American League East - the Red Sox are half a game behind New York for third place.
Wander Franco made history in the first inning, tripling with one out to extend his on-base streak to 36 games. He now has tied Mickey Mantle for the longest streak of reaching base by a player 20 years or younger in the history of the American League.
The Rays tied the game 1-1 in the bottom of the first, and appeared to break the game open with a six run second inning. The Rays rallied back, though, thanks in part to a four run fourth inning. They eventually tied the game 9-9 in the ninth inning when Austin Meadows hit an inside-the-park home run..
The Rays got two runs in the top of the tenth with RBIs from Nelson Cruz and Brandon Lowe. Boston got one back in the bottom of the tenth, but Colin McHugh (6-1, 1.46) was able to shut the door and clinch the remarkable win.
The Rays and Red Sox now meet in the second game of their three game series on Tuesday night in Boston. First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 7:10 PM - pregame coverage begins with Jay Recher and the Inside Pitch at 6:00 PM on 95.3 WDAE & AM 620.
PHOTO COURTESY GETTY IMAGES